Les and friends in the Amazon Jungle, Ecuador

hand drill fire.” I didn’t realize at first how hugely beneficial these simple reminder notes would be once I was several days out on a shoot and so tired from not eating much I couldn’t think clearly. Thank goodness my simple script told me what to do. Planning the story for a jungle shoot, in contrast, might look something like this: Day One— show intro and entrance into jungle. Day Two—build shelter plus get actuality footage. Day Three—get fire going and gather some wild edibles. Day Four—head into the jungle to try hunting by blowgun.

 

Travel Gear

There have been many technological decisions I’ve had to make along the way. First, the camera technology has changed so much in the past eight years that it’s ridiculously hard to keep up with it all and to stay cutting edge. When I started there were only a couple of small consumer cameras (borrowed) to capture all my survival efforts. Once I sold Survivorman as a standalone series, the experimentation began. How I navigated the murky waters of TV networks to get the show on air and continue to do so today is the subject of something larger, like a book (stay tuned). The first shoot was ridiculous: I had a Panasonic, a JVC (GY-DV500) and a Sony (DSR-PD150). You’d think I would’ve thrown in a Canon just for good measure. What I brought back to the editing suite was a white balancing nightmare. It became clear I had to settle on one brand of camera, so that at least the internal workings matched up. After a number of side-by-side tests, the Sony PD150s (now it’s the Z1Us) seemed to have everything I needed: a good command of lowlight shooting, durability, light weight and great quality. I’ve stayed in the Sony world ever since, using PD170s, Z1Us, V1Us, HC3s and HC9s.

As for editing software, I have been using Final Cut since before it was called “Pro” and I love it. However, I am now working with Sony Vegas, a very powerful and brilliant editing platform that combines beautifully with my Sony cameras.

I needed my cameras to handle a few important situations. First, I needed night shot features so I could capture the story line 24/7. Unfortunately, the pro and pro-sumer models don’t have that little bell, so I had to go with the HC3s for that. I also needed time-lapse (a big part of my beauty B-roll and a great device for transitioning in the edit suite from day to night or day to day). I literally shoot time lapses every hour of the day, one camera always dedicated almost solely for that. I’ve also needed underwater capabilities, and since the big underwater housings were only good for a couple of episodes that revolved around underwater diving, I use a Viosport waterproof camera to handle all the rest. I also strap the Viosport to the bottom of helicopters (the Cook Island episode is the best example) and planes for some great aerials.

I could go on and on here. The sad fact is, cameras for me have almost become disposable. I have lost track of how many I have broken due to rough use. But in the end, the loss in the budget is usually always worth the shot!

Perhaps the question I get asked most often is about battery use. The answer is simple: I never head out without a bunch of lithium batteries. The longer lasting, the better. I typically take nine seven-hour batteries, which get me through the entire shoot. The closest I ever came to running out was in Utah when I had not done my final goodbye shot and I realized I had only 10 minutes reading on the battery. I had to hope I nailed it on the first take, which luckily I did.

 

Long Shots and Extreme Close-Ups I put up with the extra weight load of one bit of solid gear that I can’t shoot without: my Manfrotto tripod and fluid head. The half dozen shots I get with a good panning technique are worth the extra bulk.